DRIVING THE TRANSPO DAY — WRRDA presser: The House T&I Committee rolls out its WRDDA bill at a news conference today that features the “big four” — Bill Shuster, Nick Rahall, Bob Gibbs and Tim Bishop. The bill will be marked up next week, on Sept. 19, according to a lawmaker involved in the legislation. To build support for the measure, the panel has a new video out today that explains the bill in a fun way. Chairman Shuster narrates the 2:41 video designed for those outside the Beltway. It features time-lapse drawings on a whiteboard that explain why ports are so important and how project reviews can be cut to three years, one of Shuster’s main goals in the legislation. “You’re probably thinking: That can’t apply to me,” Shuster says after ticking off the wonky full name of the bill. “But it’s actually a lot simpler than it sounds. In fact, it’s a bill that’s essential to our everyday life. You see, we are surrounded by the goods that travel through our ports and waterways.” Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/1fVo1xo

Bipartisan: The bill has bipartisan support. Bishop, the top Dem on the water panel, said it was a “very open, inclusive process.” He’s meeting with fellow Democrats on the bill this morning, he told MT. Shuster told MT that there is “tremendous frustration” from both parties on project review lengths, saying “I think we’ve found some common ground on moving these things forward.” The chairman also offered this simple summary of the bill: “At the end of the day, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for our competitiveness.”

NOT CR-AZY ABOUT FURLOUGHS: The House’s CR came out yesterday evening, and while it doesn’t directly address FAA furloughs, there’s a section that seems to solve the problem. Language in the 16-page measure ( http://1.usa.gov/1eeSHxT) stipulates that money for civilian personnel may be used “for operations necessary to avoid furloughs” as long as the agency has “taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer nonpersonnel-related administrative expenses.” The CR, which runs through Dec. 15, should be up for a floor vote this week.

But ... Even if the House language is approved, the FAA will still have to find the extra money for air traffic controllers and contract towers from elsewhere in its budget. The FAA Managers Association wants to tap AIP funds, but ACI-NA and AAAE have a new letter opposing the move ( http://politico.pro/1eASFOL). Kathryn fills Pros in on why the issue will likely be dealt with in one form or another: http://politico.pro/1d2VpCQ

MIDWEEK, HUMPDAY, OR JUST PLAIN OLD WEDNESDAY. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes and automobiles. Today’s the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed thousands of Americans, grounded all U.S. air traffic and led to the creation of the oft-criticized TSA. Communication is the key to a good relationship — so stay in touch: asnider@politico.com. And on Twitter: @ AdamKSnider and @ POLITICOPro.

LIFEBOAT SPAT: An NTSB-backed proposal to protect disabled boat passengers drew a tongue-lashing from Duncan Hunter, the top Republican on T&I’s maritime panel, who said the rule would deal major damage to commercial boat operators and do little to improve safety. But disability advocates and one House Democrat took aim at the Coast Guard for questioning the safety impact of the rule and signaled they would work to protect it. “Should a disabled veteran who became paralyzed serving our nation in Iraq or Afghanistan be condemned to die because the charter fishing boat on which he is a passenger sinks?” Elijah Cummings asked a Coast Guard official at the hearing. Kevin fills it all in for Pros: http://politico.pro/17UUUHR

Also from the hearing: Rep. Don Young, for decades one of the House's leading earmarkers, defended the practice again and promised to bring back the tradition during his lifetime. "I'm 80 years old and I'm going to have earmarks sooner or later than you think,” Young said in response to a witness referring to earmarks. “That was the dumbest thing we ever did. And my party did it. It was the dumbest thing. Look, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot.”

LOTTA LHOTA: Former New York MTA head Joe Lhota cruised to victory in the GOP mayoral primary last night. AP: http://yhoo.it/1fXNGpb

** U.S. global competitors are modernizing airports, expanding high-speed rail, improving transit and increasing highway performance. While the rest of the world is speeding up, the U.S. is slowing down. Join the debate on how to revitalize America’s travel infrastructure at the U.S. Travel Association’s Connecting America Through Travel Conference. ( http://bit.ly/CATTtrav) **

AMTRAK ON TRACK: In spite of a busy congressional agenda and rapidly changing developments in Syria, the House’s Amtrak reauthorization is still on track for an October introduction, Railroads panel Chairman Jeff Denham told MT. The conflict in Syria and debate over potential U.S. involvement “squeezed all of our timelines but we’re still moving forward,” he said. “We’re getting very close.” Asked to clarify, Denham said he’s hoping to introduce the bill in October. “It might have pushed us back a week or so,” Denham said of the Syrian debate’s effect on the rail bill, but he said members “probably could have used that time anyways.” Denham is set to meet with Amtrak head Joe Boardman next week.

TRANSIT FANS WANT PARITY: The Commuter Benefits Work for Us coalition and three members of Congress — Reps. Michael Grimm, Earl Blumenauer and Jim McGovern — gathered just outside the Capitol for a Tuesday presser to rally for parity in the pre-tax transit benefit. Blumenauer, who’s seen years of last-minute action on the issue, said he’s “getting tired of this sort of stopgap.” The bow-tied Oregonian said he’s “absolutely committed” to getting legislation passed, either standalone or as part of a big tax package. Grimm called it an “extremely important issue” and said that taking 3 percent of commuters off the road can lead to a 30 percent congestion reduction. McGovern said it “might not be the most glamorous issue out there” but is a “bread and butter” matter for a lot of families.

State of good podium repair: The podium at the outdoor news conference had seen better days — the stand had bent metal, lots of missing paint and at least one spot with peeling tape on it. When alerted to the shoddy state of the podium, Blumenauer joked, “Is this a class act?”

CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL: The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board meeting was interesting — somewhat for the approval of $268 million for unexpected costs, but more so for the farmer who compared the project to the Holocaust. The Fresno Bee has more: http://bit.ly/18abEhV

SPOTTED ON AMTRAK: An MT source spotted Tom Carper — the senator, not the Amtrak board member — on the 6:05 p.m. Tuesday regional train to New York.

MAILBAG — Keep an eye on it: Top House aviation pols Frank LoBiondo and Rick Larsen have written the DOT IG to request the watchdog “continue to monitor and examine” progress in a new pilot records database. Read it: http://politico.pro/17VKJ3o

PROS, YOU’RE INVITED: Join the POLITICO Pro Technology team this Thursday for an in-depth conversation on the future of the Internet, and implications for policy, government and innovation. To find out more about "POLITICO Pro Technology Report: The Future of the Internet," contact proevents@politico.com.

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)

- National Association of Counties transpo lobbyist Bob Fogel is retiring after 28 years; today is his last day.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 20 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 385 days and FAA policy in 750 days. The mid-term elections are in 419 days.

CABOOSE — Marketing Dubai’s trains: The Atlantic Cities takes a look at how Dubai sold its transit system to the country’s wealthy, car-loving citizens. http://bit.ly/1b3nqvJ

** Travel contributes $2.0 trillion to the U.S. economy and is an essential part of life. America’s travel experience and the businesses that support it are inextricably linked to the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. Yet, with chronic underinvestment in high-performing modes, policy barriers to connectivity and declining federal revenue, travel in America is changing. While the rest of the world is speeding up, the U.S. is slowing down.

On November 20, the U.S. Travel Association will host travel and transportation leaders at the Newseum for the first-ever Connecting America Through Travel Conference ( http://bit.ly/CATTtrav).

Join us and help shape the discussion on how to revitalize America's travel infrastructure.

At the conference: Discover new research examining the links between infrastructure investment and growth in the travel sector; hear from national leaders on the challenges to maintaining and building efficient, connected transportation systems; and forge new allies for advocacy efforts in Washington and beyond. **

** A message from the U.S. Travel Association: To make America competitive again, we need to be connected, to each other and the world. America has zero airports ranked in the top 25 globally, and that's more than just an embarrassment—it's a missed opportunity. Travel is critical to our country's trade balance, since it accounts for ten percent of all exports, and supports one in nine American jobs. If we're not connected through modern airports, America loses out. Investment in our country's infrastructure is an investment in connectivity, which is vital for our people, our economy, and our place on the global stage. Learn more: http://bit.ly/1QLPK5L **

Authors:

About The Author

Adam Snider is a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro and author of Morning Transportation. He has covered transportation since 2007, joining POLITICO in 2011 to launch MT and later found the word “Mica-ism.”

Snider is a fan of all modes of transportation, though nothing beats a good silly walk. In his spare time, he can be found brewing a hoppy beer, rooting for the Nationals, watching a bad 1970s horror movie or exploring the District from his home base in Mount Pleasant.

Adam studied English and communications at Clemson University in South Carolina. His work has been featured by Nieman Journalism Lab and his snark has appeared on MSNBC. He has had several works of fiction published in literary journals and is constantly reminded of his proclamation to a fiction professor many years ago that journalism is for sellouts who abandon their creative dreams.